Belt-shifter.



G. 0. SMITH (5c 0. A. KRAFT.

' BELT SHIPTBR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1909. 7 9 4,127, PatentedJuly 12, 1910 's 1% 51 3D H43 32 I 55 WITNElSSESz 6% w. M5-

ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n.

IIE

SATES GEORGE C. SMITH AND OSCAR A. KRAFT, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IBELT-SHIFTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 13, 1909.

Patented July 12, 1910. Serial No. 489,702.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE O. SMITH and OSCAR A. KRAFT, citizens of theUnited States, and residents of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBelt-Shifters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

Our invention provides a means for a simple and efiicient belt shifterwhich is so adapted that the operator can shift the driving belt fromone pair of steps on the cone pulley to another pair without having todo so by hand.

The invention consists of the novel devices and combinations hereinafterdescribed and specifically defined in the claims and the many advantagesresulting from the use of the invention will be evident to those skilledin the art.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate the inventionand in which like characters of reference denote like parts in all thedifferent views: Figure 1 is a top plan View of our overhead beltshifter. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 isa top plan view of our belt shifter as adapted for a low down belt cone.Fig. 4 is an elevation of the belt shifter shown in Fig. 3.

Referring first to the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2: 5 is a cone pulleyhaving stepped faces 6, 7, 8 and 9 of different diameters. The conepulley 5 is carried by the shaft 10 which is suitably supported in thehangers 11 and 12. Auxiliary hangers 13 and 14 carry rods 15 and 16. Ablock 17 is adapted to travel longitudinally on the rods 15 and 16 whichact as guideways for such travel. The auxiliary hangers 13 and 14 andthe rods 15 and 16 are angularly arranged with reference to the conepulley 5 so that the block 17 will, when longitudinally moved over thedifferent faces 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the pulley 5, be always insubstantially the same relation to each of these different faces. Theblock 17 is slotted at 18 and through this slot the belt 19 passes.Arranged to revolve within the slot 18 are idlers 20 one on each side ofthe belt 19 each of which is carried in suitable bearings 21 on theblock 17. The distance between the auxiliary hangers l3 and 14 ispreferably such that when the block 17 is nearest the hanger 14 the belt19 will be guided directly upon the face 6 of the cone pulley 5 and whenthe block 17 is nearest the hanger 13 the said belt will be guided uponthe face 9 of the cone pulley 5. A rock rod 22 is suitably securedpreferably in the ceiling and floor and adapted to be rotated in itsupper and lower bearings. To the rock rod 22 is rigidly secured at someconvenient height a handle 23. Likewise secured to said rock rod 22 is alever 24. The handle 23 and the lever 24 act together like a bell cranklever having its fulcrum on the rock rod 22. A strap 25 or othersuitable securing means is rigidly secured to the block 17. A link 26 ispivotally secured at one end to the lever 24 and at its other end to thestrap 25.

Referring now to the belt shifter shown in Figs. 3 and 4: the conepulley 27 has faces 28, 29, 30 and 31 of different diameters similar tothe faces 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the cone pulley 5. This pulley is carried bythe shaft 32 which is supported by a suitable standard 33 secured to thefloor. Likewise carried by the standard 33 are auxiliary standards 34and 35 which are adapted to carry guide rods 36 and 37. A block 38 isadapted to move longitudinally on the guide rods 36 and 37. In thisblock 38 is provided a slot 39 through which the belt 19 is adapted totravel. In this slot 39 are mounted idlers 40 having bearings 41 carriedby the block 38. These idlers 40 like the idlers 20 are so arranged thatthe belt 19 travels between them and they act as guides to keep the belt19 on the desired face of the cone pulley 27. The supports 34 and 35 andthe guide rods 36 and 37 are so arranged that during the longitudinaltravel of the block 38 the slot 39 is always belt 19 will be guided ontothe face 28 of the pulley 27. When the block 38 is thrown against thesupport 35 the belt 19 will be guided upon the face 31 of the pulley 27.

Having thus described the several parts of our invention we will nowdescribe its method of operation. As is usual the stepped faces 6, 7, 8and 9 of the cone pulley 5 and the stepped faces 28, 29, 30 and 31 ofthe cone pulley 27 are reversely arranged and so positioned that theface of largest diameter on the upper cone pulley is substantially inline with the face of smallest diameter on the lower cone pulley.Assuming that it is desired to shift the belt 19 from the face 8 of thecone pulley 5 onto the face 9 of that same pulley and simultaneouslyshift the said belt from the face 29 to the face 28 of the cone pulley27: the operator will first grasp the handle 23 and swing it and therebyrotate the rock rod 22 so that the lever 24 is carried to the right ofFig. 1. This will pull upon the link 26 and strap 25 so that the block17 will travel to the right of Fig. 1. This travel of the block 17 willcarry with it the belt 19 which will thus be thrown from the face 8 ontothe face 9. The block 17 will be limited in its travel by striking theauxiliary hangers 13 at that point where the belt will be centrally heldby means of the block over the face 9 of the pulley 5. The operator willthen grasp the handle 42 and throw the block 38 to the right of Figs. 3and 4 so that the belt 19 will thus be guided onto the face 28 of thecone pulley 27 and the block will be prevented from any further righthand travel by striking against the support 34:- When it is desired tochange the belt from one stepped face to another of these cone pulleys,it will be evident that the operation for so changing the belt will besubstantially the same as that just described.

It will be evident that our improvement requires no alterations in thehangers or their parts and that the use of our device makes it possibleto use a belt running tighter on the cone pulleys than could beotherwise used.

Our invention is very simple and inexpensive to build and capable ofeasy operation. It is moreover adapted to be used with any machine wheremotion is transmitted by means of cone pulleys having faces of'different diameters. By the use of our invention the belt can be alwaysmaintained in true central position on the faces of the cone pulleys. Ifdesired, of course, means may be used for locking the rock rod 22 in anypredetermined position and for locking the block 88 in any predeterminedposition, thus making sure that the belt is held on the faces of thecone pulleys wherever desired. These locking means, however, we considerunnecessary for use in most cases, since the blocks 17 and 38 may be soarranged upon the guide rods 15 and 16 and 36 and 37 that theirlongitudinal travel will be only possible when the blocks are actuatedby the operator.

Having thus described out invention what we claim is:

1. The combination with an upper or driving stepped cone -pulley, alower or driven stepped cone-pulley and its bearings and a belt passingaround said cone-pulleys; of a bolt shifter comprising supportingbrackets at said upper cone-pulley, upper guide rods carried by saidbrackets and disposed substantially parallel with a line which is drawnacross the faces of said upper cone-pulley steps and touching thecenters of said steps, an upper guide block slidably mounted on saidupper guide rods and provided with a slot disposed at an angle with saidguide rods but parallel with the axis of said cone-pulley, a rock rodrotatably mounted near said upper guide rods, a lever and linkconnection between said uper block and said rock rod, lower guide rodsdisposed substantially parallel with a line which is drawn across thefaces of said lower cone-pulley steps and touching the centers of saidsteps and carried by the bearing caps of said lower cone-pulleybearings, a lower guide block slidably mounted on said lower guide rodsand provided with a slot disposed at an angle with the said guide rodsbut parallel with the axis of said cone-pulley, means carried by saidlower guide block for operating the same and means carried by said rockrod for operating the same, whereby said guide blocks may be movedlongitudinally on said guide rods.

2. The combination with an upper or driving stepped cone-pulley, a loweror driven stepped cone-pulley and its bearings and a belt passing aroundsaid cone-pulleys; of a belt shifter comprising supporting brackets atsaid upper cone-pulley, upper guide rods carried by said brackets anddisposed substantially parallel with a line which is drawn across thefaces of said upper conepulley steps and touching the centers of saidsteps, an upper guide block slidably mounted on said upper guide rodsand provided with a slot disposed at an angle with said guide rods butparallel with the axis of said cone-pulley, grooved idlers mounted 011said upper guide block and rotatable within the slot of said block, arock rod rotatably mounted near said upper guide rods, a lever and linkconnection between said upper block and said rock rod, lower guide rodsdisposed substantially parallel with a line WlllCll is drawn across thefaces of said lower conepulley steps and touching the centers of saidsteps and carried by the bearing caps of said lower cone-pulleybearings, a lower guide block slidably mounted on said lower guide rodsand provided with a slot disposed at an angle with the said guide rodsbut parallel with the axis of said cone-pulley, grooved idlers mountedon said lower guide block and rotatable with the slot of said block,means carried by said lower guide block for operating the same and meanscarried by said rock rod for operating the same whereby said guideblocks may be moved longitudinally on said guide rods.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto 15 set our hands in the presenceof two witnesses.

GEORGE C. SMITH. OSCAR A. KRAFT. Witnesses:

J. WM. ELLIS, ETI-IEL A. KELLY.

